534 FLORA. ^ 



I. SOPHORA L. 



Leaves odd-pinnate. Flowers wliite, yellow or violet, in terminal racemes ox 

 panicles. Calyx generally campanulate, its teeth short. Standard obovate 01 

 orbicular; wings obliquely oblong; keel oblong, nearly straight. Stamens all dis- 

 tinct or very nearly so; anthers versatile. Ovary short-stalked; style incurved. 

 Pod stalked, coriaceous or Meshy, terete, constricted between the seeds, mainly in- 

 dehiscent. [Name Arabic, yellow.] About 25 species, natives of warm and tropi- 

 cal regions. Besides the following, about 5 others occur in the Southern States. 



1. Sophora sericea Nutt. Silky Sophora. (I. F. f. 2045.) Herbaceous, 

 woody at the base, silky or silvery pubescent, 15-30 cm. high. Stipules subulate, 

 deciduous; leaves short- petioled; leaflets 7-25, short-stalked, obovate or elliptic, 

 obtuse or emarginate at the apex, narrowed or cuneate at the base, 6-13 mm. long; 

 raceme peduncled, 5-10 cm. long; flowers white, about 16 mm. long, nearly sessile; 

 pod dry, coriaceous, 3-5 cm. long, about 4 mm. thick, finely pubescent, few- 

 seeded. Prairies, Neb. and Colo, to Tex. and Ariz. April-June. 



2. CLADRASTIS Raf. 



Trees, with odd-pinnate leaves, no stipules nor stipels. Flowers showy, white, 

 fragrant, in terminal panicles. Calyx-teeth 5, short, broad. Standard orbicular- 

 obovate, reflexed; wings oblong; keel incurved, obtuse, its petals distinct. Sta- 

 mens 10, all distinct; filaments slender; anthers all alike, versatile. Ovary sessile 

 or nearly so ; ovules few ; style incurved ; pod linear or lanceolate, short-stalked, 

 flat, at length 2-valved, few-seeded. [Greek, brittle-branch.] Two known 

 species, the following and one in Mantchuria. 



i. Cladrastis lutea (Michx.) Koch. American or Kentucky Yellow- 

 wood. (I. F. f. 2046.) A smooth-barked tree. Foliage nearly glabrous; leaves 

 petioled; leaflets 5-1 1, ovate, oval or obovate. stalked, 4-8 mm. long, pointed or 

 blunt-acuminate at the apex, obtuse or the terminal one cuneate at the base; pani- 

 cles many-flowered, drooping, 2-5 dm. long ; pedicels 1-2 cm. long ; calyx tubu- 

 lar-campanulate; corolla about 2 mm. long; pod short-stalked, glabrous, 4-8 mm. 

 long, 8-10 mm. wide. In rich soil, Ky., Mo., Tenn. and N. Car. June. 



3. THERMOPSIS R. Br. 



Perennial herbs, with sheathing scales at the base, alternate 3-foliolate leaves, 

 and large yellow or purple flowers in racemes. Stipules usually foliaceous. Calyx 

 campanulate or short-turbinate, its lobes equal and separate, or the two upper ones 

 united. Standard nearly orbicular, equalling the oblong wings and about equal- 

 ling the keel. Stamens 10, incurved, separate. Ovary sessile or short-stipitate; 

 ovules 00 ; style slightly incurved ; stigma terminal, small ; pod sessile or short- 

 stalked, flit (in our species), linear or oblong, straight or curved. [Greek, Lupine- 

 like.] About 15 species, of N. Am. and Asia. Besides the following, 5 others 

 occur in the southern and western N. Am. 



Leaflets 2.5-5 cm. long; panicle elongated, usually long-peduncled; eastern. 



1. T. mollis. 

 Leaflets 1-2.5 cm. l° n g '» panicle short, short-peduncled ; western. 2. 7\ rhornbifolia. 



i. Thermopsis mollis (Michx.) M. A. Curtis. Alleghany Thermopsis. 

 (I. F. f. 2047.) Frect, 6-9 dm. high, finely appressed-pubescent. Leaves peti- 

 ole I; leaflets oval, rhombic-elliptic or obovate, entire, nearly sessile; stipules ovate 

 or lanceolate, shorter than the petiole; racemes mainly terminal; pedicels 412 mm. 

 Ion ;, bracted at the base; flowers yellow, about 2 cm. long; pod short-stalked, 

 linear, slightly curved, about 10 cm. long. Va., N. Car. and Tenn., in the moun- 

 tains July Aug. 



2. Thermopsis rhornbifolia (Nutt.) Richards. Prairik Thermopsis. (I. F. f. 

 2048.) Erect, 2 5 dm. high, appressed silky -pubescent. Leaves petioled; leaflets 

 oval or obovate or rhombic-elliptic, obtuse, sessile; stipules broad; racemes rather 

 druse, few- flowered; pedicels 4 S mm. long, bracted; flowers yellow, about 2 cm. 

 long; pod linear, recurved spreading, several-seeded, stalked, 710 cm. long. In 

 sandy soil, on prairies, Kans., Neb., S. Dak. and Manitoba, west to the Rocky 

 Ms. June July 



